PAEDOPHILES will “face the full force of the law” promised education secretary Angela Constance yesterday as she unveiled a landmark probe into historic child sex abuse.

Ms Constance told MSPs the statutory public inquiry would have the powers to force witnesses to give evidence.

She said abusers would be brought to justice where evidence of crimes was uncovered. The long-awaited move follows a string of scandals and claims of an Establishment paedophile ring.

Abuse in the Catholic Church and in children’s homes in Scotland is also likely to be investigated. Ms Constance said the full remit of the inquiry and who will lead it would be confirmed by the end of April. Consultation with abuse survivors will take place next month.

She said: “This parliament must always be on the side of victims of abuse. We must have the truth of what happened to them and how those organisations and individuals into whose care the children were entrusted, failed them so catastrophically.

“And to get to that truth, we will be establishing a national public inquiry into historical abuse of children in institutional care.”

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The full force of the law will be available to bring perpetrators to account

Angela Constance, education secretary

Ms Constance added: “To ensure justice is done, I can tell this chamber that, where crimes are exposed, the full force of the law will be available to bring perpetrators to account.”

Last month it emerged Police Scotland had set up a team of detectives to investigate claims of child abuse involving the late Solicitor General Sir Nicholas Fairbairn and others. Ms Constance said measures would be put in place to ensure the inquiry did not interfere with any ongoing criminal cases.

She would “take on board” calls from campaigners to set aside the legal time bar which stopped historical cases coming to court.

The move comes 10 years after former First Minister Jack McConnell offered an apology to victims of abuse in children’s homes but stopped short of a full public inquiry.